Fresh claims reignite debate over APC’s 2015 campaign financing

More than a decade after the All Progressives Congress (APC) achieved its historic 2015 electoral victory, fresh claims by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, have reignited public interest in the financial machinery that powered the campaign which ended the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) 16-year hold on power.

In an interview with Symfoni TV released on Saturday, Lawal alleged that President Bola Tinubu, then a national leader of the APC, personally financed significant aspects of the party’s campaign, including the vice-presidential activities of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, while also spending more than N2 billion to hire American political consultants linked to former U.S. President Barack Obama.

The claims, if independently verified, would offer a rare glimpse into the scale of private funding that allegedly supported one of Nigeria’s most consequential presidential elections. However, Lawal did not provide documentary evidence during the interview to substantiate the financial figures or contractual arrangements he described.

Behind the 2015 Campaign

The 2015 presidential election marked a watershed in Nigeria’s democratic history, with the APC defeating incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and ushering former military Head of State Muhammadu Buhari into office.

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The campaign was widely regarded as one of the most competitive and professionally organized in Nigeria’s political history, involving nationwide rallies, extensive media outreach, voter mobilization, and coalition-building among opposition leaders.

Lawal, who was closely involved in the APC campaign, claimed Tinubu played a central role not only in mobilizing campaign funds but also in personally financing expenditures outside the party’s official campaign purse.

“Through him (Tinubu), we were able to raise sufficient funds to do the campaign,” Lawal said during the interview.

Osinbajo’s Campaign ‘Operated Separately’

One of the most notable aspects of Lawal’s account concerns the vice-presidential campaign of Professor Yemi Osinbajo, whom Buhari selected as his running mate.

According to Lawal, Osinbajo’s engagements required a different strategy because he was tasked with reaching constituencies where Buhari’s candidacy faced skepticism, particularly among Christian communities and parts of southern Nigeria.

“Osinbajo’s portion of the campaign, he funded it… Our Osinbajo campaign was a little bit broken away from the main campaign,” Lawal said.

He explained that Osinbajo’s identity as a Christian pastor enabled him to engage groups that were uncertain about Buhari’s candidacy, requiring campaign activities that were, in his words, “semi-independent” of the principal presidential campaign.

Alleged U.S. Political Consultants

Lawal also alleged that Tinubu recruited political consultants from the United States to strengthen the APC’s campaign strategy.

Although he did not identify the consultants by name, he claimed they had professional links to former U.S. President Barack Obama and introduced campaign techniques that significantly improved the APC’s electoral operations.

“They were Obama people, and they came and they transformed our campaign,” Lawal alleged.

He further claimed that Tinubu paid the consultants more than ₦2 billion, equivalent in U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rate at the time.

No evidence was presented during the interview identifying the consulting firm, the individuals involved, or the contractual terms of the alleged engagement.

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Claims of Personal Funding

Lawal further portrayed Tinubu as a political financier who routinely covered major campaign expenses personally instead of relying on funds allocated by the campaign organization.

“If there’s a need for an expenditure, no matter how massive, he doesn’t come to the campaign purse; he spends from his own purse,” Lawal said.

According to him, many of the financial contributions were not widely known because they were handled privately by Tinubu during the campaign.

Questions Raised Over Campaign Financing

The interview has revived broader discussions about political financing in Nigeria, where campaign funding has remained one of the least transparent aspects of the electoral process.

Election observers have long argued that while political parties disclose campaign activities, the sources and scale of private funding often remain largely outside public scrutiny.

Lawal’s assertions, while significant because of his senior role within the APC administration, remain personal claims made during a media interview and have not been independently verified.

Neither President Tinubu, former Vice President Osinbajo, nor the APC had publicly responded to the specific allegations at the time of this report.

The remarks nevertheless provide fresh insight into the internal dynamics of the 2015 campaign and are likely to fuel renewed debate over the influence of private financing, campaign strategy, and political consultancy in Nigeria’s democratic process.